Inside Hudson's Mind
by Chrissy Calavicci
Summary: Chapter 7 Up! Hudson escapes from Hell and now he finds himself back in it. Angel's loss finally catches up to her. How does she deal with it? Rated R for language.
1. 5 Years Later

**A/N: Okay, I don't own aliens. This is kinda like this "what if" story. Alright, so what if Hudson lived? It's full of flashbacks, so eventually the story of how he survived will come through. A little chapter replacement. Thank you so much "Szeretet"** **for helping me realize Hudson's real 1st name. I swear. I was watching Aliens and looking at the cams on their helmets and DUH Hudson, W. Then I got the email and I was like...um DUH! I'm so ditzy sometimes! (I am blonde)******

_5 Years Later................_

William Hudson sighed as he sat down at his kitchen table and buttered his toast. It had been five years. Five years since they left him for dead.

_Bastards. _He thought.

Five years since he had somehow made it off that damned planet. Unfortunately, the man who saved his life hadn't survived.

_Bastards. _He thought again.

He still had nightmares. Almost every night he found himself back in Hell. It wasn't until he woke up in a cold sweat that he knew everything was okay. He'd never been the same after that. The Colonial Marines had released him from duty and he'd tried to adjust to normal civilian life.

Life just hadn't been the same at all. He couldn't look at anything without having some horrid memory. Most of the time, he stayed in his apartment, afraid to venture out. Last time he'd done that, he'd had a nervous breakdown when a couple of children ran through the streets.

"_I'm going to kill you!" One little boy shouted._

"_I don't think so!" The other little boy pulled out his squirt gun and started shooting. A small blast had hit Hudson and he flipped._

"_What the fuck?" He yelled as memories flooded back to him. "We need to get the fuck outta here Newt! We're surrounded!" He picked up one of the boys and started running._

_It wasn't until he was chased by the police and wrestled to the ground that he came to._

Hudson shook his head, trying to shake the memory away. It didn't matter how he tried, none of the memories would go away.

Hell, everything suffered. He couldn't even pick up a girl at the bar. Sure, he'd had a few here and there, but in the end, they all reminded him of something.

_Bastards! _He reminded himself again. How could they leave him to die? He stood up and tossed his plate in the sink. His apartment was immaculate. You wouldn't be able to find a speck of dust if you tried. He couldn't stand to have anything out of place, looking like it shouldn't.

"Go away!" Hudson snapped back to reality when he heard a voice in the hall, "leave me alone! MOMMY!"

_Shit. _He thought. He ran to his door and opened it. Outside was a young girl about seven. She was struggling hard to get away from a large man.

"MOMMY!" She yelled.

"Hey you fuck!" Hudson yelled, "leave the kid alone!"

"What are you going to do to stop me?" The man asked. But Hudson didn't see the man, all he saw was a snarling alien.

"You fuck." He yelled as he punched the man in the nose, "leave the kid alone and go after someone your own size."

"Like you?" The man lunged at Hudson, but again, that's not what he saw.

"Shit." He cursed as he punched the man in the gut, "get off of me!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" A womans voice sounded from the stairs.

"Angel!" The man stood up promptly, picking up Hudson and dusting him off. "I was just-"

"Violating the restraining order." Angel said curtly, "get the hell out of here before I call the cops."

"Mommy!" The girl ran to her mother. Hudson took one more swing at the man.

"You scared now? Fuck! Get outta here!" He yelled after the man. Then he ran for the girl, "Newt! Newt! You okay?"

"Who is Newt?" The girl asked.

Hudson looked up at Angel, "It's going to be okay Ripley. We'll get rid of them."

"Sir..." Angel said cautiously, "thank you for saving my daughter."

"What?" He asked.

"My name is Angel and this is Claire. My daughter. We're your neighbors I guess, but we don't see you too much."

Hudson snapped to the present, "get the fuck outta here!" He yelled.

"Hey!" Angel yelled, "what is your problem?"

"Get the fuck away from me!" He yelled. He was fighting back tears. Tears of embarrassment, tears of sorrow. He went to his apartment and slammed the door.

_Fuck! _He thought, _When will this shit stop? I coulda sworn... How could she leave her daughter there...by herself? What the hell?_

He sighed and opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. He just wanted the madness to stop.

**Hehe. This is interesting. Gimme a little break okay?**


	2. Nightmares and Suicide

**A/N: Okay, time for round two. I hope you know this story gave me nightmares! Hehe. No one reviewed, but I'm putting up a second chapter anyway. Maybe it will kick off soon.**

Hudson sat on his couch. He'd lost track of how many beers he'd downed. Last he knew, it was pretty early in the morning, now it was almost eight in the evening.

_How could they leave me? _He thought the same thing over and over every day, _I was right there. She saved the girl. Why did she leave me?_

He fell asleep on his couch. It wasn't a very good sleep as he kept waking up every now and then due to nightmares.

"_Hudson!" the girl cried. He grabbed her by the arm and shot the hell out of the nasty little parasite. _

"_Shit." It was Cpl Hicks. A face he hadn't seen in years. _

_Cpl Hicks looked up. They were coming through the ceiling. Hudson looked down. They were also coming up through the floors._

"_Nuke these bastards!" Hudson shouted._

"_Fuck! Let's get outta here!" Cpl Hicks yelled. He grabbed the girl and they tried to run, only to find out they were locked in._

"_Dammit!" Hudson yelled, "We're fucking dead!" He pounded on the window in vain. He turned to see the monsters had already killed the two people with him. The two people that relied on him, that he relied on in return. Now, they were coming for him._

"SHIT!" Hudson woke up once again in a cold sweat. He turned to see his clock blinking 12:00. "Fuck. Power outage."

_It's getting worse._ He thought, _I can't take this shit anymore. Five years. Five years!_

"What the hell do you want from me???" He shouted, "Leave me the fuck alone!"

It was then he heard a pounding on his front door.

"Go the fuck away! I've got a gun! I'm not afraid to use it you lousy fuck!" He yelled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He heard a woman's voice on the other side.

Hudson sighed and came to. He walked over to the door and tried to look calm when he opened it.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" The woman asked angrily.

"No." He said, embarrassed, "power outage."

She looked at her watch, "it is four in the morning. Now, I have been hearing noises over here all night. What the hell is going on? Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned but it is interfering with my sleep and I personally don't like the language my daughter is hearing."

"All night?" He asked, "I just woke up."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes, "look, just keep it down. These walls are quite thin."

"I can't help it." He stated. He was shocked by his response. He'd never admitted that to anyone.

"Do you need help?" She asked cautiously.

"No." He stated, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

She looked at him like he was crazy, but satisfied with his answer. "Good night."

"Night." He shut the door.

_That's right. _He thought, _it won't happen again. Ever. I am going to stop this right now. I can't live with the pain anymore. _

He went into the bathroom and grabbed his razor, _no more nightmares, and no more haunting memories. _

He sighed as he took the razor to his wrist. He almost stopped. _It can't hurt any worse than......_

"FUCK!" He shouted, "SON OF A BITCH!"

He fought back tears as his blood hit the floor. He turned briefly to see that someone had stormed in.

"I thought I told you to shut up!" She yelled, "You said I wouldn't have any more problems with you! I'm going to call the manager!"

"How did you get in here?" He said weakly.

"You left your door unlocked and..." she saw his blood, "oh shit."

"Just leave me okay?" He yelled.

"I can't do that!" She shouted at him, "What are you? Stupid?"

"Go away!" He spat at her, "you have no idea what I'm dealing with! I have to die! They won't go away!"

"You stupid shit! I just yelled at you because you're being too loud!"

"Get the fuck away from me! I can't live with this any more!"

She grabbed the nearest towel, "you are such an idiot!" She knocked the razor out of his good hand and grabbed the arm he'd already sliced, "I'm only doing this because you saved my daughter." She wrapped his wrist and wrapped the towel around it, "you are such an idiot."

"So let me die. Please. You don't understand."

"So tell me! What don't I understand?" She yelled.

"I can't tell you. You wouldn't believe me. Just please, if I live through this I'll just try it again."

"No." She stated firmly, "now you listen to me. Hold this." She took his other hand and placed it on his wrist, "It'll slow the bleeding for awhile."

"Please." He begged her before he passed out.

**A/N: Well, a bit odd. I admit. Seriously, wouldn't you want to die if you kept having nightmares? I wouldn't be able to hold on for five years!!!**


	3. The Hospital

**A/N: Okay, someone leave a review please? I just want to know if you love it or hate it. **

"_Man, I owe you big time!" Hudson stated to the man who still remained nameless._

"_Shh." The man stated, "Follow me."_

_He followed the middle aged man, who he later found out was Jacob Martins. He'd arrived on the hostile planet by accident, became separated from his group, but had a ship hidden somewhere or other._

"_This place is gunna blow." Hudson whispered, "You know that right?"_

"_Shit that just means we have to hurry." Jacob hissed, "It's not far. I promise."_

_Hudson kept following Jacob until the reached an exit point. "Shh. Stay here."_

_Jacob looked around to make sure the coast was clear, "we have to run."_

_They took off like a couple of bats out of hell. Hudson looked back to see they weren't being followed._

"_My ship is in that cave. Can you fly?" Jacob asked._

"_No. Can you?"_

"_Of course! It's my ship, but just in case."_

"_Jut in case what?" Hudson hissed, "What the fuck are you talking about?"_

"_Just in case something happens! They're on us!" _

_Hudson whipped around again, "holy shit man! We're fucking dead!"_

"_Keep going!" They ran until they got to the cave, where Jacob proceeded to open up the hatch on his ship, "get in! Start her up! It's a no brainer!"_

_Hudson flipped a couple switches and powered up the ship._

"_Take off!" _

"_Get in you fuck!" _

"_Take off!" _

_Hudson fumbled around looking for something that would get the damn thing off the ground. The ship rose slowly and he used the controls to get it out of the cave. _

"_Jacob!" Hudson yelled, "Get the fuck in here!" He yelled as the ship rose higher. Jacob was fighting in vain against one of the creatures._

"_Close the hatch!"_

"_No! Get your ass in here! You didn't leave me and I'm sure as hell not going to leave you!"_

"_If you hold out for me, you'll die!" Jacob yelled, "Close the damn hatch or I'll shoot you!"_

"_Fuck you man! Get in here!"_

"_Hurry before this thing gets in there and kills you!"_

"_Fuck!" Hudson closed the hatch. He saw the creature and Jacob fall to the ground in a sickening crunch. "Let's hope there aren't any more fuckers on this piece of shit." He sighed and tried to figure out how to maneuver the thing._

"Shit!" Hudson woke up. It had been a long time since he remembered getting off the rock.

"There, there." A young woman who couldn't be anymore than twenty something replaced the cool rag on his forehead, "we were wondering when you'd come to."

"Where the hell am I?" He asked nervously.

"Don't worry honey. You're in the hospital."

"What the fuck?"

"There's no need for that language!"

"Sweetheart, I am probably ten years older than you. Don't be all motherly with me." He said sarcastically, "now tell me. Why am I here? Why am I not dead?"

"You're not dead because your friend found you before it was too late. But you have lost a lot of blood."

"You have to kill me. Please. Make this stop." He begged her.

"I can't do that. You need help. I can't help you."

"The world's best doctors couldn't fix what's wrong with me." Hudson hissed, "Kill me please. I can't stand it anymore. They won't go away."

"I'm not going to kill you." The nurse stated, "I'm going to go call the doctor."

"Fuck!" Hudson shouted.

The nurse rolled her eyes and left the room.

_I'm going to fucking kill that little bitch of a neighbor. _He thought.

"Okay Mr. Hudson." A man walked into the room, "how are we feeling."

"I'm paying you thousands of dollars to hold me here against my will and to ask me how I'm feeling? What the fuck do you think I'm feeling? I want to get the hell out of here man!"

"Calm down." The doctor walked closer to Hudson's bed. He took the wrist that had been stitched and bandaged. "Care to explain?"

"No, I don't fucking care to explain." Hudson spat, "why the hell did you fix it?"

The doctor rolled his eyes, he was getting nowhere with this man. "Look. Don't try anything funny. You're under surveillance."

"Whoopdee fucking do." Hudson sighed as he closed his eyes, "get the hell out."


	4. The Wife Beater and his Downfall?

**A/N: Okay, this is getting easier to write as time goes on. **

It wasn't more than a week later that he was released from the hospital. _I knew those fucks couldn't keep me forever._

Hudson unlocked his door and opened it. Same clean appearance, same boring atmosphere. Just the way he needed it. Not necessarily the way he liked it.

"What the hell are you doing back?" Hudson turned around to see Angel standing there.

"Where's your kid?" He asked.

"It's none of your business, but she's at my mother's. What the hell are you doing back?"

"They can't keep me forever." He stated as he began to walk into his home.

"You can't be by yourself. Why did they let you out?"

"Two reasons sweetheart, one, I'm an asshole and no one wants to be around me and two, people just don't give a rats ass anymore. I mean sure, way back in the day everyone was all touchy feely and lets figure out the problem. But this day and age, if you wanna kill yourself, no one gives a shit."

"I give a shit." She stated.

"Well too bad. You're wasting your time."

"Fuck you." She rolled her eyes.

"Any time, anywhere."

"You're an asshole. And don't ever call me sweetheart again."

"You got it babe."

She rolled her eyes again, "look, just tell me you aren't going to hurt yourself."

"Will it make you happy?" He asked.

"Only if you're serious."

"Look. You don't know what I've been through. It's pointless for me to be here any more."

"So why don't you just explain to me what's so horrible and maybe we can work it out."

"You got a cute kid and what seems to be a nice life. I don't wanna burden you with this. Go on, live happy and thank God that you'll never experience what I've been through." He shut the door and locked it.

Angel sighed, thoroughly annoyed. He was the biggest asshole she'd ever met in her life, but she knew there was something deep down that was making him that way.

* * *

Hudson grabbed a beer from the fridge and downed it quickly. He threw the empty bottle in the trash can and then went into his room. He sat down on his bed and sighed.

_I used to be so normal..._He thought, _well, normal for a Marine. It's funny how one minute I'm goofy, fun loving, trash talking, woman chasing PVT Hudson and the next minute I'm a crybaby who can't escape the hell I've been placed in._

He'd meant every word he'd said to Angel. Despite the fact she had a crazy ex-husband, she seemed to have it pretty good. Why was she wasting her time on a lost cause like him?

He turned his head towards the door. Almost twenty minutes and she hadn't knocked. He smiled to himself; _finally, she's given up._ But something wasn't right. She was too annoying to just give up. She was hell-bent on making him miserable.

He opened the door and looked out. No one was in the hallway. He heard a couple thuds in what he knew to be Angel's apartment.

_Just turn away Hudson._ He thought, _it's none of your business._

He started to go back into his own apartment, when he heard more thuds, followed by a scream.

_Shit. I can't just leave the poor gal. She did save my life, even though I didn't want her to, but..._

"Aw, dammit." He spat. He went up to her apartment and pounded on the door. When no one answered he tried to open it. Much to his surprise, the idiot had left it unlocked.

"What the fuck?" Hudson yelled once in the room. It was the same man from the first time he met her.

"Who invited you asshole?" The man asked.

"Who asked you to come over here and whomp on your woman?"

The man tossed Angel aside, "it's none of your damn business. Are you sleepin' with her or somethin'?"

"That's none of your damn business." He stated as he grabbed the man's shirt, "I do believe she has a restraining order on you."

"Like I give a shit." The man stated, "Look, why waste your time protecting her?"

"Shut the fuck up!" He slammed the man against the wall, "you're really pathetic you know that? Picking on some defenseless woman and a baby girl. You're an asshole!"

The man struggled to break free from Hudson's grip. It was no use. Hudson was livid. He slammed the man into the wall again, "get the fuck outta here you bastard." He hissed.

"It's none of your business!" The man yelled.

"You see those Gawd Damn walls?" Hudson asked, "you see how fuckin' thin they are? I hear a lot of things, and if I hear it, it's my fuckin' business." He slammed the man into the wall again and then took him to the door and threw him out, slamming the door behind him.

He turned back to Angel, "Sorry." He stated.

"He's going to come back..." she sighed, "but thank you. You didn't have to-"

"Don't worry about it." He walked over to her, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She muttered.

"No you're not. You're hunched over and you're bleeding." He knelt beside her and tried to help her stand, "come here." He took her over to a chair and sat her down. He pushed her long blonde hair out of the way and took a look.

"Don't even think about kissing me you fuck." She spat.

"Chill out sweetheart, wouldn't dream of it."

She looked as if she didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted. He laughed, "Well, you've got a busted lip and a black eye. And by the looks of how you're hunched over he must've punched you in the gut. Asshole."

She laughed a little bit, "Yeah he is."

"Why does he keep buggin' you?"

"He wants Claire. Not because he loves her or anything, but because it would hurt me." She sighed, "He's mad because I left him. Even though, I had a good reason."

"He's a wife beater?"

"Well, that too. But that didn't start until after I found him cheating on me. I threatened to leave and he threatened to kill me."

"Shit." He looked into her eyes, "you've got pretty eyes, don't think anyone will notice the shiner."

"Shut up."

"Got a washrag or somethin'?"

"Third drawer by the sink."

He stood and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a whole drawer full of pretty colored washrags. _Such a woman's place._ He laughed as he took a rag and put some water on it.

"You don't have to do this."

"Just be quiet and let me make your life hell for a few minutes. I mean seriously, you deserve it." He started cleaning the blood from her lower lip.

"Why do you want to die?" She asked.

He stopped what he was doing immediately and shifted nervously, "I can't talk about it."

"Why?" She asked.

"I just can't."

"Look, you're really calm right now. I've never seen you this calm. So why don't you just tell me before you flip out again."

"Because, if I tell you, I will flip out again." He sighed, "Look, it's a place I don't want to ever see again, but unfortunately, I'm back there every night. I'd like to try and not think about it during my waking hours."

"Stay with me tonight"

"What?"

"Please. Just tonight."

"You're fuckin' crazy." He stated, "You do not want to be with me at night."

"You said anytime anywhere."

"I was just arguing with you. Don't hit on me." He stood up, "you all right?"

"Yes." She sighed.

"Okay," he walked towards the door, "Lock this door. Goodnight."

"Please." She stated. Her big green eyes welled with tears.

"Honey, that shit don't work with me." He opened the door, "Lock it." She nodded as he left her place and shut the door.


	5. Are You Dead?

**A/N: Okay yippee! I got my first review on this story! And I once again thank you for helping me realize how blonde I can be at times. ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter, the tempo is about to pick up.**

She woke up in the middle of the night to silence. For the past few weeks, it had never been silent. There was always shouting across the hall. Quickly she jumped out of bed and threw on a robe. She ran into the hall and pounded on his door.

He woke up to the loud thuds on his front door. Groggily he got out of bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. Whoever it was at this crazy hour would have to be offended.

"Yeah?" He asked when he opened the door.

"Sorry." She said, embarrassed, "I didn't hear any shouting...I um, thought something might have been wrong."

"Nothings wrong." He said, "What time is it?"

"Almost three." She said.

He laughed, "I can see why you're worried. I went to bed at ten."

"So, why weren't you shouting?"

"I guess I wasn't having any nightmares." He smiled.

"That's good, because I just um...thought you were dead."

"I guess you've got a good reason to think that."

"So why no nightmares?"

"I don't know. I've had them every night for the past five years. Maybe they're done." He laughed, "Well, I'm up. Come on in, I'll go get dressed."

She stepped inside his apartment. It was unusually clean for a bachelor pad. But then, he wasn't like many bachelors she'd met.

He left the room and came back in wearing a pair of jeans and a large t-shirt, "there, a little more decent. Go on, have a seat."

She sat on the couch, "nice place."

He laughed, "Go on, tell me what you really think. Beer?"

"Sure." She said, "And I'm kinda freaked out. Your place is cleaner than mine."

"You didn't notice that last time?"

"No." She stated, "I was too busy dragging your ass to the hospital."

"Sorry." He said, "Here ya go." He handed her a beer and sat down next to her, "so, you were worried about me."

"Don't take it personally." She rolled her eyes.

"Come on baby. You didn't come all the way across the hall to argue with me did you?"

"I didn't." She said, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead. Now that I've confirmed it, I'll go now."

"Look. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." He stated, "I don't have very good people skills."

She stayed in her seat, "what's wrong with you?" She asked sympathetically, "I mean, all I've heard were rumors..."

"The neighbors talk." He joked, "But they don't know. All they know is I was in the Marines."

"So you have some battle trauma." She said, "It's not uncommon. Modern medicine can help-"

"It's not as common as you think." He sighed, "I was left for dead in a place so horrible, so scary...it was...Hell."

"You aren't talking about the war a few years ago-"

"I'm not talking about anything on this planet."

"You mean those terra-formers I heard about on the news?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Was it a rescue mission? Because I heard there was a problem with the machinery and the place blew up."

"Problem with the machinery my ass." He spat, "There was someone there."

"So was it a rescue?"

"It started out as a rescue." He said, "So we went down there to get these stupid colonists and well, they were already dead."

"Because it blew right?"

"No. There were...okay, I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't shut me out!" She shouted, "Just tell me."

He sighed, "There were these creatures there..."

She sat there in horror as he recalled every moment to her. "Oh my God." She gasped, "You aren't-"

"No. I'm not making this up." He sighed, "So do you see now?"

"So that explains that huge scar on your arm."

He looked down at his arm, "acid. Good stuff."

"And they just left you?"

"Thought I was dead." He stated, "I sure was wishing to be dead."

"What happened to them?"

"Escaped I believe, though, I don't know if I'll ever find out." He cleared his throat, "I personally don't care either."

"Understandable." She said.

"I feel bad for the little girl. Must've been pretty scared." He stood up, "beer?"

She laughed, "I haven't finished the first one. You sure do like to drink."

"It helps." He smiled.

"But I'm sure you feel like crap in the morning right?"

"Sometimes. It's morning now though and I feel fine."

"That's because you just started."

"Don't start with me lady." He shook his head, "It's been a rough night."

"You weren't the one getting your ass kicked." She joked.

"Yeah, you're okay right?"

"I'm fine. Claire's going to flip out when she takes a look at this nice black eye." Angel sighed, "I always told her fighting was bad."

"When do you pick her up?" He asked.

"End of the week. I'm just trying to keep her safe from him. He doesn't have any clue where my mother lives. Hell, he doesn't even know that's where I sent her."

"But he'll be back."

"That's why I'm moving."

"Shit woman! Who's gunna bug me now?"

She laughed, "I didn't know you looked forward to it!"

"Keeps life interesting." He shrugged, "besides, it's nice havin' a pretty girl chasin' me for once."

"I'm not chasing you." She stated, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You just spend so much time with me." He said innocently.

"Yeah, but you're an asshole."

"I know. So the fuck what?"

"There you go again cussing."

"Sweetheart, once a marine always a marine. I'll never let up on the cussing."

"I heard Marines were into other things..." she said.

"You mean hangin' at the bar, pickin' up girls, one night stands?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I used to do that kind of stuff."

"Oh, yeah, well you just kinda looked like the type." She muttered.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He turned towards her.

"I'm just saying..." She sighed, "The way you walk, the way you talk. You sound like you had a lot of fun hanging around in that uniform."

"Well, I'm not going to deny it. But why did you bring it up?"

"I didn't mean anything by it." She stated.

He walked over to her, "so why did you bring it up?"

"Just curiosity." She smiled.

"Oh really." He grinned.

**A/N: Had to add this chapter. I'm in the Army. And there was this guy I just couldn't stand. In fact, we couldn't be around each other more than 10 minutes without having an argument or cussing each other out. And the weird part was, that made him all the more attractive to me. Weird isn't it?**


	6. This Can't Be Happening!

**A/N: Hm. You know the drill. ;) **

She didn't wake up until nine in the morning. She looked over to see that he was already up and gone. She threw her clothes on and walked into the front room where she heard the TV going.

"The news is still on?" She asked when she saw him siteing on the couch. He didn't answer her, "hello?" She looked at the look on his face and then turned her head towards the TV.

"This unidentified ship arrived earlier this morning in New Phoenix. There is still no information as to where it came from or if they are peaceful."

"That's where my mom lives." She commented.

"Shit." He stood up, "Let's go now."

"What do you mean?"

"We have to go. NOW."

"This isn't..." She asked.

"We've got to go." He grabbed her arm and led her to the door.

"Claire! I can't leave her!"

"We're not! Let's go!"

He took her down to the entrance where he'd parked his car. _Damn, I don't get out much. _He thought as he noticed there'd only been about ten miles on the trip meter.

"Get in." He stated, "Let's go before it's too late."

"Oh my God. I'm such an idiot! How could I leave her? It's all my fault!"

"Calm down. If we hurry..."

He sped through the town, New Phoenix was still a few hours away. By the looks of traffic, nothing had happened yet. The freeway was still pretty empty. No one was panicking.

"Turn on the news." He said, in almost a demanding tone, "fuck."

"So far, nothing has happened out of the ordinary." The newscaster stated, "The ship is just there. Authorities are being very cautious in their approach as they do not want to alarm anyone who may be inside."

"Those authorities are going to be pretty fucking alarmed." Hudson spat.

"Are you sure it's them? Maybe you're wrong." Angel said hopefully.

He turned and looked at her. He knew she was upset, and just hoping he was wrong, but he had never been more sure of anything. She could tell by the look in his eyes he was dead on and she started to cry.

"Babe," he sighed, "please don't do that."

"I'm off having fun with the neighbor and this is my punishment!"

_Holy shit. Never mess with the mommies. How could he have forgotten that advice? _He shook his head, he tried to warn her. He tried to push her away.

"Look. It's not your fault. You did what you thought was best for her. In fact, it was best at the time. You didn't know. You weren't picking her up until the end of the week anyway right?" He sighed, what the hell else could he tell her?

He drove the whole way to New Phoenix, but that didn't mean she slept. The radio station had since died out. Hudson knew that was a bad sign in itself, but he didn't say anything. They arrived in town to see that it had been pretty much destroyed.

"How do I get there." He asked.

Her voice was shaky as she told him which turns to make. The closer he got to her mother's home, the worse his stomach felt. He knew there was absolutely no chance for survival. They were too late.

"Here it is." She jumped out of the car as he slowed down.

"Wait!" He said, "You can't go alone."

He stopped the car and got out. They both looked at the home. It was totally destroyed. They had already had been here.

"Angel..." Hudson tried to grab her arm, but she had pulled away and moved forward. He sighed and followed her, "We can't get separated."

Then she stopped. It looked as if she wanted to scream, but couldn't. He followed her gaze and saw Claire and an older woman. Her mother.

_Dammit! _Both their faces were covered.

"We have to help her!" Angel cried.

"It's too late baby." He fought back tears of his own, "we've gotta get out of here."

"No. We have to bring her! We have to save her!"

"Angel! It's too late!" Hudson shouted as he grabbed her arm, "we have to get out of here! We're going to be next!" He dragged her along as he ran towards the entrance. He shoved her in the car and then got in. As soon as he hit the gas he saw them. They were coming.

"I can't believe it..." Angel cried, "It's all my fault."

_Comfort her later you idiot. _Hudson felt his foot fall harder on the gas pedal, _right now you've gotta get the hell out of here!_

"How do I get out of this town?" He asked.

"Hit the freeway." She muttered, "There's an entrance only a few blocks from here."

Hudson looked in the rearview. The monsters were coming up fast, but he still had an edge on them. He sped through traffic lights as there was obviously no one alive in the city to stop him.

Once he got to the freeway, the creatures seemed to stop. "Why aren't they following me anymore?" He asked, "Turn on the radio."

Angel silently obeyed. The station they had been listening to was still out, so she flipped through to see what she could find.

"Once again...if you are in any of these cities, leave immediately. As residents of New Phoenix found out earlier this morning, these creatures are deadly and do not take prisoners."

"Yeah no shit." Hudson muttered.

"So far, there have only been four sightings of these ships. New Phoenix has been the only known city they have attacked. If you are headed towards this area, either turn around or find another route. So far, the neighboring cities have not been attacked as these creatures seem to be staying near their ships."

"Okay. We'll gas up in the next town and then-" Hudson looked over to Angel who just sat there. She wasn't crying anymore, just staring off into the distance.

He sighed. There was nothing he could say to ever make her feel better. She would always feel that this was her fault. For once in his life, he stopped thinking about everything that made his existence hell. For once, he cared about someone else.

"It's my fault." She said, "Just kill me. I have no reason to live anymore. We're going to die anyway. She was so scared and I wasn't there."

Hudson didn't know what to do. He'd dealt with Marines, he'd dealt with aliens, but he had never had to deal with a grieving mother. "It's not your fault. You can't just give up though. We have to get off this rock."

"How? How the hell are we, normal little insignificant people supposed to get out of here?" She shouted.

"Please, just calm down. Like I said we'll gas up at the next town over. We'll keep tabs on where they're landing and we're going to um, commandeer a ship."

"Hm." She stated, almost indifferently.

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Angel didn't seem to want to talk and Hudson was afraid to say anything to upset her more.

"Pull over." She said out of the blue.

"Babe, we can't just pull over on the freeway." He said.

"We're far enough away! Pull over!" She shouted in desperation. He pulled the car over and she opened the door.

"What's up?" He asked as he opened his own door and followed her to the side.

"Back off!" She yelled. He stood back as she threw up. He got back in the car and patiently waited for her.

"You okay?" He asked when she got back into the car. She nodded and buckled her seatbelt.

"Lets go." She sighed.

"Turn the radio back up." He stated.

"I don't' wanna hear it."

"Well, we have to know what's going on or we'll end up dead."

"I don't give a shit!" She shouted, "There's no point!"

"Baby you can't talk like that!"

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me baby!"

"Sorry." He stated.

She just shook her head. He didn't say anything after that. Both of them half-heartedly listened to the radio.

"So much for no strings attached." She stated after the better part of an hour.

"What?" He asked.

"Normally after a one night stand I'd go home."

"Aw shit, we're not gunna start arguing again are we?" He asked, "Normally after a one night stand I'd kick your ass out."

"So why didn't you?" She asked.

"Because." He said, "It's none of your damn business."

"I do think it's my damn business."

"Fuck! What the hell do you want me to say? I just got up to watch TV, I didn't kick your ass out because-"

"Because what?"

"I don't know. I can't fucking stand you 90 of the time. Why the fuck do you have to bring it up?"

"If you can't fucking stand me why did you sleep with me?" She shouted.

"Because maybe I fucking like you! Did you ever fucking think of that? Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time?"

"Why do you have to be such an asshole all the time?" She crossed her arms and looked out her window.

"Oh yeah, that's real mature." He spat, "cross your arms and pretend you can't hear me."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Why don't you fucking make me?"

Both of them sat silent for a few minutes before she uncrossed her arms and looked at him, "do you really like me?"

"Possible." He said.

"Because maybe...I like you too."

"I'm sorry about Claire." He said, "If I'd known that's where she was I would've left sooner."

"It's not your fault, you tried." She sighed, then smiled, "hey, we just had about ten seconds of civil conversation."

"Call the World Records department." He grinned.

**A/N: Yep yep. So the aliens aren't traveling much...yet...our heroes escape, but for how long? And my goodness? Being civil to each other?**


	7. Quiet Is GoodRight?

**A/N: Okay, things are a little crazy at home! Here is the next chapter, it's kinda long, but there are a lot of emotions I had to cover. Things are pretty much quiet now, but there's frustration, sadness and depression coming about.**

"Want anything from the snack shop?" Hudson asked as he started to put gas in the car, "It's going to be a long trip."

"I'm not hungry." She said.

"Okay." He sighed as he walked into the mini-mart. Next to New Phoenix, this town didn't look any better; however, the aliens hadn't even been here yet.

"Howdy." The man behind the counter drawled, "Didjya hear 'bout New Phoenix?"

"Yeah." Hudson said absently, "I'm on pump five. I want this stuff too."

The man looked at him and laughed, "Guess yer tryin' to get outta dodge eh?"

"I'm not here to make small talk dude. We've got a long trip."

"Yeah." The man looked outside, "wouldn't wanna make a Mrs. like that watin'. You done good with a hot lil' number there."

"Shut the fuck up! How much do I fucking owe you?"

"Touchy you city folks are. Always high strung. Just gimme forty."

"Forty?" Hudson spat, "That gas ain't worth that! And I only got a couple drinks!"

"Gimme forty. Treat me like crap any longer I'll make it fifty." The man stared Hudson down.

"I don't have time to dick around with you." He threw forty at the man, took the drinks and went back outside.

"Done?" Angel asked.

"Yeah." He stated, "You might wanna get back in the car. That old pervert's checking out your ass."

* * *

Once they were back on the road they were silent again. The radio was turned up just enough to inform them of new sightings. So far five more ships in three different countries had shown up.

"It's a fucking attack. They're going to kill us." Hudson whispered.

"So you wanted to commandeer a ship?" She asked, "How did you plan on doing that without getting shot or arrested."

"Trust me, I'd rather be shot." He said, "at least it means..."

"I don't want to know." Angel said softly, "I just don't want to think about it."

"We have to stop soon and get some sleep." He stated.

"NO!" She shouted, "If we sleep, that means we're vulnerable!"

"Babe, if we're running around on fumes it's not any better." Hudson sighed, "We need rest. We've been up since what...about three?"

"We slept until nine this morning." She argued.

He laughed, "That was more of a cat nap. We didn't exactly go right to sleep."

She blushed a little, "you know what I mean..."

"We need sleep. We're running on fumes."

"I'll drive."

"Babe."

"I don't wanna sleep!" She yelled, "I don't wanna die like that!"

"You won't!" He shouted, "I've got a gun in my glove compartment. I'll bring it with us when we get a room."

"From what you told me, a gun isn't going to kill off those things." She cried.

"I didn't mean we're taking it to shoot them."

Angel looked at him. His eyes were straight ahead on the road, but his hands were shaking. "Fuck." She whispered.

* * *

Hudson opened the door to the small motel room. He sighed as he stepped in. It was the only thing left in town. He needed to come up with a plan fast.

"It kinda sucks." He stated.

"Not like we'll be staying long." She stepped inside and sat on the bed, "I need some more clothes. I didn't even get to pack anything."

"I've got some stuff in my car. Not exactly your style but..."

"I guess it doesn't really matter anymore does it." She laughed. He smiled and went back to the car.

He came back in a few minutes later with a t-shirt and jeans. "Probably way too big..."

"It's fine." She said. After a few minutes she looked back up at him, "So what if they come here before we wake up?"

"We'll hear them and if we can't get away..." He lit a cigarette.

"Don't do that. It's a bad example for...never mind." She sat back.

_Aw shit, don't cry._ He thought, _I can't deal with that again._ He put out his cigarette and headed towards the bathroom, "I'm gunna go take a shower."

"Don't leave me alone." She said.

"I'm just going to be in the next room." He said, "You'll be fine."

"But-"

"I'm going to take a shower. You'll be fine. Get changed, turn on the TV, relax. Trust me, there isn't much else we can do."

She sighed and began to change as he left the room. Once she was done, she turned on the television. There wasn't anything on but the news. Special Reports and Emergency Bulletins on every channel. She heard the shower going in the next room but not much else. She took it as a good sign that it was quiet.

He just stood there and let the hot water pour over him. He preferred the nightmares over the real thing. At least he could wake up and everything would be okay. He didn't hear anything from the next room so he figured she'd gone to sleep. He turned off the water and dried off. The shower hadn't made him feel any better, but at least he was clean. He threw on some boxers, then walked back into the room and saw her sitting on the bed, the news was on and she was crying.

_Shit._ He thought, "Hey baby, why don't you turn that off huh?"

"Look!" She shouted, "THAT is New Phoenix now. What the hell? How the fuck did this happen?"

"Seriously. Turn that shit off."

"She must have been so scared..."

"Don't do this to yourself."

"Why? Because you don't know how to fucking handle it?" She shouted, "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you!"

"That's not what I'm saying! Why don't you just calm down and fucking listen to me?" He sighed, "Look, I'm sorry about Claire. You have every right to be upset and cry all the fuck you want! But watching the news and getting angry isn't going to bring her back or make them go away! So just fucking calm down okay?"

"Fuck you!" She yelled as she threw the remote control at him.

"That's it. That is fucking it! I'm sleeping in the car!" He walked towards the door, "Dammit!"

"Wait!" She shouted, "Don't leave."

"Why should I stay?" He asked.

"Because I'm scared."

"Yeah? Well so am I! But at least my car isn't going to start throwing shit at me just because she's pissed off!"

"I'm sorry." She said.

"You can only use that so many times in a day."

She took in a deep breath, "I'm just frustrated."

"Me too." He sighed, "Promise you won't throw anything else at me?"

"I don't have anything else to throw." She sighed

"It's too cold to go out like this anyway." He said, "Guess I'll just turn off this TV here."

"Don't turn the light off." She said.

"Come on, we won't get any sleep with that thing on." He stated.

"But-"

"I'm right here." He stated, "I promise you'll be fine."

She sighed and looked towards the window, "are you sure we shouldn't just keep going?"

Hudson shut the light off and sat down on the bed, "you'll be fine. Just go to sleep."

He sighed as he put his head on the pillow and his arm around her. He hadn't noticed until now that she'd been shaking. _Dammit_. He thought, _why now?_

It wasn't in his nature to get this close to a woman, not in this way anyway. It was like he told her earlier, normally; he would have kicked her ass out. No strings attached meant no strings attached dammit.

* * *

He woke up the next morning before the sun even rose. His dreams were uneventful, but he still felt as if he hadn't slept at all. He sat up on the edge of the bed and sighed, it was going to be another long day and he had no idea where they were going.

Angel opened her eyes and sat up. "Are we leaving soon?" She muttered.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Okay. I'll go get Claire ready." She stood up.

He looked over at her to see if she was serious. "Um...Angel..." He said cautiously.

She looked at him, "What?" She asked. He sighed as he saw the tears start, "Oh right. I forgot. Shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear anything you have to say." She headed towards the bathroom.

Hudson went to grab for his jeans, until he realized that he had left them in the bathroom the night before, "Shit!" He yelled, "Angel! You'd better not be doing what I think you're doing!" He tried to open the door to the bathroom, "Dammit! Unlock this door!"

"FUCK YOU!" She shouted.

"Dammit, don't make me break it down!" He searched for something to pick the lock. When he couldn't find anything he stepped back and prepared to break the door down.

"Go the fuck away!" She shouted, "Or I'll shoot you too!"

"You're gunna have to shoot me!" He shouted as he broke the door in.

"Asshole!" She shouted as he smacked the gun out of her hand.

"What the hell are you thinking?" He yelled.

"You don't understand." She sobbed, "It just hit me this morning. I'm NEVER going to see her again! Do you understand that? What's the point? What is the fucking point?"

"Don't even start that shit!" He shouted back at her, "Look, yesterday was hectic-"

"Shut the fuck up!" She shoved him back and began to reach for the gun again.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "I'm not going to let you do this." He tried to calm his own voice down, but she was fighting his grip and he was having a hard time keeping her still.

"What the fuck do you care?" She shouted, "Didn't you want to die anyway?"

"Don't make me have to restrain you." He said, "You won't like it."

"Fuck you."

"Look," he sighed, "Neither one of us are going to get out of here alive-"

"GOOD!"

"Shut up and let me talk!" He said angrily, "I know yesterday's events are just hitting you. A lot happened yesterday, but, you've just gotta move on." He flinched a bit, thinking he probably shouldn't have said that.

"Move on?" She sassed, "Move on? My daughter is DEAD! It's all my fault too! Have you ever been responsible for someone's death? Someone that you love?"

"Okay, bad choice of words, but come on Angel. Think about it, we need each other. If one of us dies now, the other one is just fucked. I don't want to be responsible for your death, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to feel responsible for mine."

"You don't need me, you've done this before."

"Not by myself!" He shouted, "Someone helped me! In fact, it's my fault he's not here right now!"

"It wasn't your fault." She said, "It was his choice not to get on that ship."

"And it wasn't your fault that your mom decided to live in New Phoenix." He stated.

"Don't turn this around on me you ass." She struggled a little more, "Let go of me."

"Not if you're going to get all crazy on me again." He said calmly.

"I won't. At least not in the near future."

"Go get dressed." He said, "We needed to leave like 10 minutes ago."

She silently went into the next room. He slipped on his jeans and grabbed his shirt. "Damn." He sighed, "This is going to get ugly."

**A/N: Well, there you have it. It finally hit her. I hate death and I've had many people close to me that have died. Don't think I've ever wanted to kill myself over it, but then, I know if something happened to my daughter I'd have a hard time swallowing it. :( I'd probably be in denial for a lot longer than a day though. **


End file.
